Which to buy · Every setting
Breville Barista Express Impress (built-in) vs Fellow Ode Gen 1
Conical against flat — the Barista Express Impress (built-in)'s scale curves where the other runs straight. The Ode Gen 1 is numbered 1–11; the Barista Express Impress (built-in) is numbered 1–25.
Which to buy
Choose the
Barista Express Impress (built-in) if you…
- make espresso — the grinder is built into the Barista Express Impress machine
- want the dose calculated from the last grind, and assisted tamping
- want the portafilter to stay in one place while you grind, dose and tamp
Choose the
Ode Gen 1 if you…
- brew filter only — Fellow says the Ode "does not grind for espresso"
- single-dose, with an auto stop when the last bean is ground
- already own one, or are buying used — Fellow lists it as sold out
Shop links are affiliate links: BrewMark earns a commission if you buy through one, at no extra cost to you. The verdicts were written without regard to it.
Fellow now sells the Ode Gen 2 in place of the original. The settings on this page are for the Gen 1.
Sources: Fellow — Ode Gen 1 (archived) · Fellow — Ode Brew Grinder · Breville — Barista Express Impress · Breville — Barista Express Impress manual
| Barista Express Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Breville | Fellow |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 25 | 1 – 11 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 2.6 numbers | 2.6 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 4.8 numbers | 7.4 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 6 sits at grind index 0 on the Barista Express Impress (built-in) but 56.7 on the Ode Gen 1 — far enough apart to change the cup.
Converting a setting
If a recipe quotes a setting for one of these grinders, read across for the equivalent on the other. Rows are spaced evenly by grind size, not by dial number — on a conical burr those are not the same thing.
| Barista Express Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 1 |
|---|---|
| 15 | 1 |
| 17 | 1.1 |
| 18 | 6.1 |
| 19 | 9.1 |
| 21 | 10 |
| 22 | 11 |
| Ode Gen 1 | Barista Express Impress (built-in) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 15 |
| 1.1 | 17 |
| 1.2 | 17 |
| 2.2 | 17 |
| 3 | 17 |
| 3.2 | 17 |
| 5 | 17 |
| 6.1 | 18 |
| 7.1 | 18 |
| 8.1 | 18 |
| 9.1 | 19 |
| 10 | 21 |
| 11 | 22 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Barista Express Impress (built-in) | Ode Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 16 | 1.1 |
| Moka pot | 17 | 1.2 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 17 | 2.2 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 17 | 3.1 |
| Siphon | 17 | 4 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 17 | 4.1 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 17 | 4.2 |
| Drip / batch brew | 17 | 5 |
| Cupping | 17 | 3 |
| Chemex | 18 | 6.1 |
| French press | 18 | 8 |
| Cold brew | 20 | 9.2 |
The shape of each dial
Where the connectors bunch, that grinder’s dial is compressed and single steps count for more. Comparing the two shapes tells you which gives finer control, and where.
Breville Barista Express Impress (built-in)
Fellow Ode Gen 1
Dialing in the Barista Express Impress (built-in)
The Impress version adds assisted dosing and tamping, but the grinder underneath dials much like the standard Barista Express. Its range is built around espresso; treat filter settings as the far edge of what it was designed to do.
Dialing in the Ode Gen 1
The original Ode had noticeably more fines than the Gen 2 that replaced it, which is why the Gen 2 burr upgrade became such a common retrofit. If you are running Gen 1 burrs, expect to sit slightly coarser than published Ode numbers to get the same cup.